Volunteering nightmare

Blackmail...id remove your dc and yourself from this environment. Don't volunteer for them and block their number. Is there someone you can report them too. Sounds awful...walk in fact run from them.

Yeah I guess so. It seems a shame. But I do get it. Could they not pair up with a training provider and people doing a qualification in play work or child development or outdoor education or something could do it as part of their course?

Is this scouts/besbers/brownies/ etc? A million years ago when I was asking for my child I was told there’s a massive waiting list but if I do volunteering they could taken my child in.

i said ‘erm, no thanks’ as I guessed queue jumping would come at a price.

Is this scouts/besbers/brownies/ etc? A million years ago when I was asking for my child I was told there’s a massive waiting list but if I do volunteering they could taken my child in.

i said ‘erm, no thanks’ as I guessed queue jumping would come at a price.

Of course it’s discriminatory. But how else can it work? There aren’t enough volunteers happy to donate their time for nothing. Either they force people to volunteer or the activity doesn’t happen.

Is there a head office you can contact to tell them this is happening? Individual clubs power tripping and going rogue is not unheard of.

No way wonder they're so desperate for volunteers!

Thank you. I just think it feels like it's a bit discriminatory. A wealthier family may have more flexibility to do voluntary work. One parent may work PT or be SAHP.
I'm just thinking a single mum working every shift she can get in a factory at min wage would have less likelihood of having the energy to volunteer so their kid would likely lose out.

I Agree it's not ideal, although there is also the waiting list way of getting in so it's not like it's impossible to do scouts otherwise. Yes,I think anyone can volunteer subject to vetting etc, but how you attract those people is the issue.

There are plenty of volunteers who work full time or are disabled. Units don't only take the children of those who can volunteer, however there are huge waiting lists, so additional volunteers means they can take more children.

People without children can volunteer, as well as those who's children are grown up.

I thought the same!!

Thank you for explaining. Just say the parents work full time or are disabled. It seems bad that they'd only take kids who's parents can volunteer.

If they are basically forcing people into it they won't necessarily have the interests of the kids in the front of their mind. They're just on autopilot.

Do they let people with no kids or adult kids volunteer?

In scouts it's pretty standard to allow children to jump the waiting list if parents volunteer as there is a massive shortage of leaders and other volunteers so it's the only way the group keeps going. In our area you usually only get in if you sign up to the waiting list very early or volunteer, and even if you didn't volunteer initially there are lots of requests for more parents to volunteer or the groups could close. It's fair enough really, no volunteers no group!

I can see why they won't let people play the system by dropping out of volunteering but keeping their child in, but equally they are bad for understating what's involved in the volunteering! I've just signed up as a trustee (not to get my child in) and have discovered there is a lot more to it than the person who asked me let on!

We do have the opposite problem here a bit too- leaders dropping out because their child doesn't want to do it anymore, and they only volunteered for that reason, so no reason for them to stay now - it creates a big turnover!

Yes I did too. Other parents won't volunteer and leave their kids on the waiting list until a place appears or they find something else.

You've had great advice on the thread OP - I guess you can't block them on your personal phone if they have it for when your child is at the sessions, but you don't have to answer at any other time. Email to say what you agreed at the outset and say you don't have capacity to do more. Say the agreement was made before your child joined and you will honour it but only if they do and don't start mission creep. And say you will not answer emails when you are working.

It's bang out of order they should hold you to ransom for unlimited free labour in order to get your kid on this class/course.

How did all the other kids get in? Are they running an outsourcing admin sweatshop with each parent working for free in exchange for their child's place in the activity?

It all sounds extremely fishy. If they're part of some kind of governing body or regulator I'd be making a complaint. It's not a fair way to allocate places in a children's hobby group.

Exactly the club I thought it was too.

So how do the other parents secure their kids' places?

Has this charity got a head office? If it has, I'd be raising merry helly with them.

Additionally I'd be finding another option for my DS.

This has to be scouting or something similar. Only an hour a week...
They sucked me in too for a few years. I've never known a bunch of such manipulative people who would promise you the earth to get you to do something else for their organisation.
If they are actually threatening to withdraw your child's place, you need to raise a concern with the district or county manager (district or county commissioner). Or contact their headquarters. It's blackmail and has no place in a well-respected youth organisation.
This whole thing with people contacting you at all sorts of times is very unreasonable. They should be contacting one of the actual leaders. Not a parent volunteer.
Draw your boundaries. You're doing some admin volunteering. You can give 1/2 hours a week to it. Set days/times that you can do and stick to it.
If I were you, though, I'd be voting with my feet.

That's insane!! Just tell them you will do what you agreed to and dont respond to any other calls. Tell them you will contact the National press if they kick your child out

I would take my child out of the club and block them with no warning or explanation!
I wouldnt want my child to be there if they are so badly run tbh.

Do they require an adult to be with the child for child protection purposes? No club member alone with a child who is not with a parent?

The reason they say her DS will lose his place is to stop parents from agreeing to volunteer as a way to jump the waiting list, only to suddenly disappear when their child has a place.

@Oliveoiloli Who is getting in touch with you, and why do they have your personal number?

Brownie leader here and also came to see if this is Scouts. The parent involvement expected at Scouts is far more than we expect in Girlguiding. Who is calling your personal phone? Is it the unit leader? Can you speak to the Group Scout Leader / District Commissioner (might be called something else instead in Scouts) and discuss your role / time available. Basically go back to your original admin role?

That's been my experience too. I actually call it 'volunteer creep'.

I gave up one role of writing and sending out a regular newsletter after the secretary WhatsApped me on Christmas Eve. He treated me like an employee, and instructed me to send out an additional 'Happy Christmas' newsletter that day (something he could have logged into the organisation's content management system and written himself if he had the spelling and grammar skills, which he doesn't).

It doesn't sound like much, but I had a very busy life and had been very clear about what I could offer at the outset.

Anyway, OP, it depends how much you want your DC to stay at that activity. If it's not that big a deal, walk away. If not, put your boundaries in writing, only deal with emails and stick to that.

I'd email them with days and times they can contact you. Explain that emails and calls won't be picked up until these days/times as you're working a full time job. Stick to that! Don't ever answer outside of these hours!